Thai villagers fall on the ground after clashing with protesters, left, as riot police officers try to save him during a protest against the occupation of land by Cambodian people in Sisaket province, northern Thailand Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009. Violence broke out as a political group broke through police lines to march to a temple on the Cambodian border and demand the Thai government recover disputed territory. (AP Photo)By GRANT PECK
AP
BANGKOK — Thailand's prime minister called for peace and reconciliation on Sunday, a day after a nationalist group provoked clashes with police and villagers during a march to the Cambodian border.
"We can express different opinions but please don't hurt each other. Don't hurt our own people," Abhisit Vejjajiva said.
At least 17 people were injured in northeastern Sisaket province when several hundred members of the People's Alliance for Democracy tried to march to a border area claimed by both Thailand and Cambodia to demand that the Thai government seize the territory. They clashed with police and with hundreds of local Thai villagers who oppose them.
Both the protesters and villagers were armed with sticks, slingshots and other homemade weapons.
The alliance also led demonstrations three years ago that helped spark a military coup that ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra for alleged corruption and disrespect for the country's monarch. After Thaksin's allies returned to power, it occupied the prime minister's office for three months last year and seized the capital's two airports for a week.
Abhisit, a Thaksin rival who took office after those demonstrations, sought to appease the protesters, saying Sunday that they should "be assured we are not losing out territory" and that the government was continuing to work on the issue.
"I'm sorry that police couldn't prevent the violence. They were really outnumbered and couldn't block the protesters," he said, adding that they were under strict instructions not to use force.
Police mostly carried only riot shields, making it difficult for them to fend off attacks by the alliance's marchers. Television footage showed alliance members thrusting staffs bearing the Thai flag.
The clashes were linked to a decades-old territorial dispute. The World Court in 1962 awarded control over the nearby 11th century Preah Vihear temple to Cambodia, but some surrounding land remains in dispute.
The People's Alliance for Democracy seized on the land issue last year to stir up nationalist sentiment and attract support, accusing the government of failing to defend Thailand's sovereignty.
Abhisit after the clashes told the army and police to negotiate with the protesters, who agreed to send a small group Sunday to a spot near the temple to make their statement. About 30 of the group's representatives, escorted by soldiers, carried an assortment of royal symbols to the area Sunday.
"We demand that the government and army press the intruders to move out. We are not making war but are protecting our sovereignty," protest leader Veera Somkwamkit said.
The Saturday confrontation came on the same day that about 20,000 pro-Thaksin demonstrators in Bangkok marked the third anniversary of the military coup, saying it set back the cause of democracy.
The protesters want Abhisit to step down, claiming he came to power illegitimately.
More than 6,000 police were on hand to prevent a repeat of rioting that killed at least two and injured hundreds in the last major anti-government protests in April. There was no violence.
Thaksin, who is in self-imposed exile, addressed the crowd by video.
"The whole world thought Thailand was already developed, or almost developed, but it has gone backward to dictatorship," he said.
"We can express different opinions but please don't hurt each other. Don't hurt our own people," Abhisit Vejjajiva said.
At least 17 people were injured in northeastern Sisaket province when several hundred members of the People's Alliance for Democracy tried to march to a border area claimed by both Thailand and Cambodia to demand that the Thai government seize the territory. They clashed with police and with hundreds of local Thai villagers who oppose them.
Both the protesters and villagers were armed with sticks, slingshots and other homemade weapons.
The alliance also led demonstrations three years ago that helped spark a military coup that ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra for alleged corruption and disrespect for the country's monarch. After Thaksin's allies returned to power, it occupied the prime minister's office for three months last year and seized the capital's two airports for a week.
Abhisit, a Thaksin rival who took office after those demonstrations, sought to appease the protesters, saying Sunday that they should "be assured we are not losing out territory" and that the government was continuing to work on the issue.
"I'm sorry that police couldn't prevent the violence. They were really outnumbered and couldn't block the protesters," he said, adding that they were under strict instructions not to use force.
Police mostly carried only riot shields, making it difficult for them to fend off attacks by the alliance's marchers. Television footage showed alliance members thrusting staffs bearing the Thai flag.
The clashes were linked to a decades-old territorial dispute. The World Court in 1962 awarded control over the nearby 11th century Preah Vihear temple to Cambodia, but some surrounding land remains in dispute.
The People's Alliance for Democracy seized on the land issue last year to stir up nationalist sentiment and attract support, accusing the government of failing to defend Thailand's sovereignty.
Abhisit after the clashes told the army and police to negotiate with the protesters, who agreed to send a small group Sunday to a spot near the temple to make their statement. About 30 of the group's representatives, escorted by soldiers, carried an assortment of royal symbols to the area Sunday.
"We demand that the government and army press the intruders to move out. We are not making war but are protecting our sovereignty," protest leader Veera Somkwamkit said.
The Saturday confrontation came on the same day that about 20,000 pro-Thaksin demonstrators in Bangkok marked the third anniversary of the military coup, saying it set back the cause of democracy.
The protesters want Abhisit to step down, claiming he came to power illegitimately.
More than 6,000 police were on hand to prevent a repeat of rioting that killed at least two and injured hundreds in the last major anti-government protests in April. There was no violence.
Thaksin, who is in self-imposed exile, addressed the crowd by video.
"The whole world thought Thailand was already developed, or almost developed, but it has gone backward to dictatorship," he said.
20 comments:
On behalf of all khmer people in and outside of Cambodia. We want you ignorant thai to return Sisaket and Surin province back to Cambodia.
2:24 AM you are too modest.
I want the whole "siamland" returned to the rightful owner Cambodia.
It's just a matter of time.
yup 2:39 thats the spirt....we want all our land back ......fuck thailand
THAILAND BELONGS TO THE KINGDOM OF CAMBODIA
If prophecy is to be believed, THe Khmer Empire will rise again.
In the name of Thai, please let me say sorry and do apologies to Khmer, because we, Thai has nothing from China.
Our ancestors robbed Khmer properties...We are thief!
We, Thai should bow down and pay respect to our gratitude Khmer.
PLEASE ALL THAIS STOP OUR DIRTY AMBITION WITHOUT SHAMELESSNESS.
Please, Khmer, apology to me, Siam.
A Thai Representative.
The yellow shirt as khmer opposition party.
A Thai detainee (left) kisses his child as a relative looks on following a gathering in the yard of Narathiwat jail. There are several hundred suspects imprisoned in Thailand's troubled southern provinces, says rights group the Cross Cultural Foundation, and their jail terms often have a devastating effect on their families with many remaining out of contact for long periods of time. (AFP/File/Madaree Tohlala)
A Thai detainee (left) is hugged by his wife following a gathering in the yard of the Narathiwat jail. There are several hundred suspects imprisoned in Thailand's troubled southern provinces, says rights group the Cross Cultural Foundation, where they face security-related charges. (AFP/File/Madaree Tohlala)
A Thai detainee (left) eats lunch with members of his family during a gathering in the yard of Narathiwat jail. There are several hundred suspects imprisoned in Thailand's troubled southern provinces, says rights group the Cross Cultural Foundation, with many remaining out of contact with their families for long periods of time. (AFP/File/Madaree Tohlala)
A soldier stands guard as students leave their school for home in Thailand's Yala province, about 1,084 km (674 miles) south of Bangkok September 2, 2009. REUTERS/Surapan Boonthanom
Rescue workers carry the body of an injured policeman after a car bomb attack, to a hospital in Thailand's Yala province, about 1,084 km (674 miles) south of Bangkok. A bomb in a pick-up truck exploded in Thailand's southern Yala province on Friday, killing a policeman and wounding 10 villagers, police said, the latest deadly blast in a region plagued by insurgent violence. The bomb, hidden in a truck parked near an intersection, exploded as a police officer drove past in his car, a police spokesman said. "His body was trapped and burned," he said. REUTERS/Surapan Boonthanom
A view of the scene of a car bomb attack in Thailand's Yala province, about 1,084 km (674 miles) south of Bangkok . A bomb in a pick-up truck exploded in Thailand's southern Yala province on Friday, killing a policeman and wounding 10 villagers, police said, the latest deadly blast in a region plagued by insurgent violence. The bomb, hidden in a truck parked near an intersection, exploded as a police officer drove past in his car, a police spokesman said. "His body was trapped and burned," he said. REUTERS/Surapan Boonthanom
Policemen inspect the site of a car bomb attack in Thailand's Yala province, about 1,084 km (674 miles) south of Bangkok . A bomb in a pick-up truck exploded in Thailand's southern Yala province on Friday, killing a policeman and wounding 10 villagers, police said, the latest deadly blast in a region plagued by insurgent violence. The bomb, hidden in a truck parked near an intersection, exploded as a police officer drove past in his car, a police spokesman said. "His body was trapped and burned," he said. REUTERS/Surapan Boonthanom
Firefighters extinguish a fire on a pick-up truck after a bomb attack in Thailand's Yala province, about 1,084 km (674 miles) south of Bangkok . A bomb in a pick-up truck exploded in Thailand's southern Yala province on Friday, killing a policeman and wounding 10 villagers, police said, the latest deadly blast in a region plagued by insurgent violence. The bomb, hidden in a truck parked near an intersection, exploded as a police officer drove past in his car, a police spokesman said. "His body was trapped and burned," he said. REUTERS/Surapan Boonthanom
Yeah we want all of Khmer land back, but that cannot happen because our stupid govt isn't doing their job!
Down yellow shirts. You are nothing, but a trouble maker. you not helping your country. You are destroying it politcally and economically. You Thais deserve this. Because you cause so much trouble to Cambodians.
I'm greatly concerned about how the Abhisit government is allowing its ignorant, thuggish, and terrorist group called PAD to harm the relationship between Cambodia and Thailand. Is this how an Oxford educated man practice diplomacy with its neighbor?
http://sambathmeas.blogspot.com/2009/09/khmer-boy-allegedly-burned-alive-by.html#links
Not all Thai's are bad. History is history. We all know that we can not get all our land back. Our Cambodian government including Hun Sen need to address our people that the Thai's need to respect our people, our land. Instead of them demanding the 4.6km land from us, we should remind them who land they are sitting on. It is the Thai government and the radicals starting these problem and we all should spread this message to everyone in the world.
ស្ដេចសៀមបានបញ្ជារ អោយអាភិសិទ្ធហៅក្រុមអាវលឿងត្រឡប់មកទីកន្លែងវិញ ព្រោះគាត់កំពុងឈឺខ្លាំងនៅឯមន្ទីពេទ្យ ដោយគាត់ឃើញថា ការប្រើស្នៀតដដែលនេះវានឹងអាចមានគ្រោះថ្នាក់ធ្ងន់ធ្ងរដល់រាជានិយមអាវលឿង។ ដោយឡែកទៀតស្នៀតនេះក្មេងខ្មែររើសសំរាមកក៏មើលឃើញដែរ ម្លោះហើយវានិងអាម៉ាស់មុខធំជាថ្មីម្ដងទៀតនៅលើឆាកអន្តរជាតិ ។ សូមរំឭកថា៖ កាលពីដើមដំបូងវាបានប្រើស្នៀតបញ្ជូនលោកសង្ឃនឹងដូនជីឆ្លងមកក្នុងទឹកដីកម្ពុជា រួចបន្តាប់មកក៏បញ្ញូនទ័ពវាតាមក្រោយមកលុកលុយនិងកាន់កាប់តំបន់ដីខ្មែរនៅក្នុងវត្ថកែវសិក្ខាគីរីស្វារះរហូតមកទល់សព្វថ្ងៃនេះ ។ ជារៀងរាល់ថ្ងៃស្ដេចសៀមកំពុងរិះរកវិធីណាមួយដើម្បីលុកលុយទឹកដីយើងតាមរបៀបដែលយួនបានធ្វើកន្លងមក ដោយវាមានការច្រណែននិងយួនពន់ពេកណាស់ ។ ជាមួយនេះវាបន្តរដេកយល់សប្តិពីលេបទឹកដីខ្មែរបន្ថែមទៀត រហូតដល់ស្ដេចវាអស់សង្ឃឹមដល់ដេកពេទ្យ ថ្មីៗនេះដែលក្រុមពួកអាផាតមិនបានសំរេច ។
ពីព្រលឹងខ្មែរ
បរាជ័យអាចោរសៀម
Sambath Meas, I am so happy to have Khmer woman like you that being educated and know a lot of our history. I hope one day that Cambodian is really a democracy state and in need people I'd recommend the government to have an educated person like you to serve the interest of Cambodian. I am congratulate you with all the success and overcome of all hard working. Please be reminded that Cambodia needs a scholar like you. I hope to see more smart Cambodian like you and I always happy to see them have higher education.
Respect,
Charlie
Dear Charlie:
Thank you for your encouragement and compliment. Take care.
Sambath
Go a head and kills each other! you Siamese Thief must disappear from khmer lands...
Sambath,
Once again you're really inspire me to know more about Khmer's history. Lately, I've done a lot of learning and research via internet and really understood more and more about our former great Khmer empire. Once we were the mighty nation in Southeast Asia now we are slowly come back to recover. I'm sure you know about me. I've encountered good sources of our history. I'm not pure Khmer but I was born in that country and I love Cambodia. Throughout the research and reading a lot of articles, we are approximately about 50 million still existed in Southeast Asia. Within inside Cambodia alone at least 11 million by taking way 3-4 million of Vietnamese and a small number of Chams and Chinese. In Kampuchea Krom we have about 11-12 million and Thailand at least 20-25 million of Khmer still living there. I hope one day we can reunited and be a strong nation again. I just hope our leaders think about our country interest more than anything. Well I've gotten to go. And will meet again. Take care!
Regards,
Charlie, Lowell, MA.
Have anyone seen a PAD guard wearing a green T-shirt was beaten up by his own PAD protesters? LOL
the PAD dogs became crazy even their own guard they don't remember.
Are we, Khmers, defending Khmer land for Khmers or for the Viets? The viets, during Pol Pot rules, borrowed Pol Pot's hand to kill 2Million Khmers. Now the Viets want to borrow Thai to kill Khmers by provoking the two countries to go to war with each other. Say for example, if 2M millions men from each country die as the result of the war, Cambodia will still have about 10 Millions left while Thai should have about 63 Millions left. Viets, which is benefited the most from the war between Khmers and Thai, will unleash another 15 millions men out of 65 Millions viets to Cambodia. With another 5 millions Viets already in Cambodia, we, Khmers will become a minority just like Kampuchea Krom now. Khmers need to wake up and be aware of Viets' intention.
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